Some anticholinergic drugs used to treat overactive bladder may hinder sleep. In a 2005 study, German researchers found that oxybutynin and tolterodine significantly reduced REM sleep, although the effect of trospium chloride on REM sleep was similar to that of a placebo.

Desmopressin has been identified as an effective treatment for nocturia patients; the drug reduces the number of trips to the bathroom during the night and increases sleep duration as a result. In fact, one study found that 27 percent of patients who took desmopressin got more than five hours of uninterrupted sleep compared to just nine percent of those who took a placebo.

Exercise has already been found to improve sleep disturbances such as insomnia — and it may also improve nocturia symptoms. One study found that walking rapidly for 30 minutes or more every evening for eight weeks significantly reduced the number of nighttime awakenings to use the bathroom. Exercise also reduced daytime urinary frequency, and two-thirds of participants reported enjoying deeper sleep compared to before they exercised.

If your sleep is suffering due to an overactive bladder, speak with your doctor. Addressing the symptoms of an overactive bladder can improve sleep, and taking steps to improve your sleep can also improve the symptoms of OAB.** See More Helpful Articles:**

Martin is the creator of Insomnia Land’s freesleep training for insomnia. His online course uses CBT techniques to teach participants how to sleep without relying on sleeping pills. More than 4,000 insomniacs have completed his course and 97 percent of graduates say they would recommend it to a friend.

Martin is the creator of Insomnia Coach, an eight-week course that combines online sleep education with individual sleep coaching. His course helps clients improve their sleep so they can enjoy a better life with more energy and start each day feeling happy, healthy, rested, and refreshed. Martin also runs a free sleep training course that has helped over 5,000 insomniacs. He holds a master’s degree in health and wellness education and studied clinical sleep health at the University of Delaware.